Knitting machine



LIll

INVENTOR- Wl TNESSES June 4, 1929.

H. W. MATTHEWS KNITTING MACHINE 6 sheets-sheet- Filed July 7, 1926 gli N VEN TOR BY award WBTdiiwu/.s

A T TORN E YS June-4, 1929.

KNITTI'NG MACHINE Filed July 7, '1926'.

' W1 TNESSES BY*v 6 sheets-'smet TTORNEYSI A June 4,1929- r H. w. MA'rTHFwsv 1,716,344

i KNITTING-MACHINE l v u Filed Jul# 7, 1926 Sheets-Sheet 5 W I TNESSES k Hmmm Wmaimws T ATTORNEYS.-

Patented June 4, 1929..l I

UNITED STATE P HOWARD W. MATTHEWS, OF'LANSDALE,

HOSIERY MILLS, OF LANSDAII'E, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYL- VANIA.

Application led July 7,

This invention relates to knitting machines, more particularly to the circular type ordinarily employed in the manufacture of seamless. hosiery. The practice generally followed .with such machines, is-to produce the legof the stockingby round and round knitting with all the needles in operation, and to provide the heel and toe portions' through formation of pockets by widening and narrowing upon a selected group of the needles (usually short butt needles) incidental to oscillation of the machine, while the remaining needles (long butt needles) are temporarily maintained idle or inactive.

The main object of my invention is to enable, through provision of automatic mechanism in machines with a single set of knitting cams, employment of any group of the needles separately for oscillatory knitting, as well as y.transposal of the needle cylinder and the cams relativ y so that the selected needle groups may b 'dependently actuated by the knitting cam thereby to produce, for example, heel tabsffor the purposes of a knitting process such a'sfset forth in U. S. Patent No. 924,- 605 to Albet Gee, dated June 8, 1906 ;'or again, .by concurrent fashioning, to form complemental tapering toe tabs such as shown in U. iS. Patent No. 388,678 granted to Samuel Henshall, under date of August 28, 1888.

l Other objects and attendant advantages willbe readily apparent from the detailed description which follows in connection with the drawings; whereof Fig. I is a side elevation of a circular stocking knitting machine conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a plan sectional view of the machine,takcn as indicated by the arrows,II-II in Fig. I

Fig. III is a longitudinal section, viewed in accordance with the arrows III-III in Fig. II.

Fig. IV is a transverse section taken, locally, as indicated by the arrows IV-IV in Figs. II and III.

Figs. V, VIand VII are di: -ammatic detail views illustrating the operation of certain parts involved in my invention.

Fig. VIII is a partial plan view of the Inachine, withthe needle cylinder removed.

Figs. IX and X are fragmentary detail sections, respectively taken as indicated by the arrows IX-IX and XX in Fig. VIII.

Fig. XI is a diagrammatic illustration KNIT'TING MACHINE.

1926. seran No. 120,911.

showing a linear development of the knitting Cams and the needles.

Fig. XII is aperspective view showing the form' of workwhich may be automatically produced as a result of the present improve- Forl convenience in delineation, I have herein shown my invention as embodied in a, standard circular knitting machine of the type fully disclosed in U. S. Patents Nos. 1,266,044 dated May 1918, and 1,330,818 dated February 17, 1920, both granted to Albert M. Pigeon. )Vith reference in detail -tol the drawings herewith, the needle c linder designated 15 is rotatably supported7 u on an annular plate 16 at the top of a rod' 1 which is guided in bearings 18 of the machine frame 19 for vertical shifting under governance ofa rotary cam disc 20, in order to change the` level of the needle cylinder l5 with respect to the. knitting cams and thereby vary the size of the fabric. loops. The cam disc 20 is secured to one end of a shaft 21, in the lowerI part of the machine frame 19, supporting the clutch drum 22, which, through a lever 23 and shift rod 24, controls the clutch by which the rotary and oscillatory phases of operation are determined. The mechanism involved in drivingthe machine under these two conditionsl of operation includes. a pair of spur gears 25, 26 which are mounted on acommon axis 27, and rotated by suitable intermeshing,

pinions on the main shaft 30 of the machine, the latter being equipped as shown in Fig. II, with tight, loose and medium speed pulleys 81, 32, 33 respectively.` The main shaft 30 alsov carries a pinion 34 which receives oscily15ENivrsviivaiv1A,l AssIeNon 'ro DEXDALE latory movement from a gear sector 35 having a crank link connection 36 with the spur gear 26, see Fig. III. During either mode' of operation, the motion received by the main vdrive shaft 30 i's'transmitted, through a pair of companion bevel'gears 37, 38, to a spur gear 39 moving with the latter of saidbevels. The spur gear 39,fin turn, imparts the motion to a gear 40'at the bottom of the needle cylinder 15 (Figs. II and III), all as described in the first of the two Pigeon patents hereinbefore referred to. Pawling of the ratchet teeth 22n of clutch drum v22 (Fig. III) is governed by the measuring chain 41 trained about a sprocket wheel 42 which is loose on the drum shaft 21, and adapted to be progressed anti-clockwise by action of apawl 42,

i upon an integrally-formed ratchet wheelj43,

said pawl being reciprocated by virtue of pivotal coordination with the gear sector 35. The measure chain41 has cam lugs 44, 45, which, in passing, successively engage a iinger`46 to cause movement of a rock shaft 47 A second linger 48 on this rock shaft 47 imparts the movement to an arm 49 to effect rea series` of needles composed .of two ,groups v52, 53, which, in the present instance, are equal as to number and respectively characterized by long and short butts distinguished y by solid and light lines? in Fig. XI. AThe instrumentalities for actuating the needles include a pairofstitch cams 54, 55, a bottom center cam-56, and side cams 57, 58, as well as a cam 59 for elevating'the long butt needles 52 to the idle level in preparation for oscillatory knitting with the short butt needles53 alone, and a depressing cam whereby said long butt needles 52 are subsequently returned to the active level. The needle actuating means are further supplemented by raising pickers 61, 62,.and drop pickers 63, 64 (Figj VIII) for cooperation with said raising pickers alternately e during widenin -incidental to the knitting of a heel pocket or example. The elevating and lowering cams 59, 60 (Fig. VIII) are respectively secured to levers 65,

66 which are pivoted intermediate their ends` for independent swinging movement abouta common fulcrum stud 67, and subject to leaf.

.springs 68, 69. During'rotary knitting, the

elevating and lowering cams 59, 60 occupy the positions shown inthe drawings; but concurrently with fshifting of the clutch 22 in changing to the oscillatory' phase of operation, their position-is reversed, i.v e., the elevating cam 59 is permitted to move inward under urgence of its spring 68 while the dea pressing cam 6()` is withdrawn. This action is brought about incidental to shifting of the having attached to`it a bracket 70 with inwardly extending fingers 71, 72 which engage studs 73, 7,4 respectively on the cam arms 65, 66. at opposite sides oftheir common pivot 67. The connections at 73, 74, it will be observed, allow independentmovement of the cams 59, 60 as hereinafter more fully explained, in the former instance in opposition toan auxiliary bow spring 72a. lThe bracket 70 alsov has a .Y finger 75 .that normally maintains the ele- 60:

vating picker 61 out of the `way during round and round knitting.

n In converting a above briefly described to the purposes of my invention, provisions are made to enable cir:

.cumferential shifting of the needle cylinder knitting machine such las 'finger 95, the plate 87 is releaseditofthe c'- 15relative to the driving means therefor so that the longbutt needles 52 may be employed 4in lieu of, or in alternation with the short butt needles 53 for fashioning purposes.'

The means to this end include an auxiliary clutch collar 76 .that is yslidable as well as free to rotate on the bearing sleeve 77 ofthe shaft 78, to the lower end-of which the bevel gear 38 is secured, as shown in Fig. III. The collar 76 has a pair of depending pins 79 (in the present instance diametrically arranged) engaging registering apertures in the gears 38, 39, and is urged downward, for normal maintenance ofthis engagement, .by a helical y compression spring 80 suroundlng the bear-v sleeye 77. `The ofliceofactuating the auxiliary` clutch collar 76 is relegated to a yoke arm 81 secured to one extremity of a rock shaft82 that is journalled in bearings projecting inward from the side 19 of the 'machine frame 19, see Figs. II, III and IV. To the opposite extremity of the rock shaft 1 82 is securedK another arm 83 whose end lies within the clevised head 84 of a bolt85 having bearing, with capacity for up and down n movement, in theboss 86 of a T shaped plate 87, see Fig. IV.` This plate 87 rests on a transverse web 191 of the machine frame 19,

and is longitudinally slidable unde'r guid-i ance of screws 88 engaging slots near the ends of its cross bar 871. The tongue- 87b` ofthe plate 87 passes Athrough an aperture inthe sidef 19c of the machine frame`19; and the promachine frame 19, normallyv 4engages `,behind a'lug` 91 on the protruding end of the plate -tongue 87b so as to hold the plate 87 in the 'position illustrated, in Figs. II and IV, in .opposition to thepull of ja coiled spring 92.

Tripping of the latch 89 is preferably given overv to the measuring chain 41 for control, Y

said chain being accordingly further equipped, as shown in Fig. III,- with special lugs 93, 94

in a different plane from the lugs 44, 45 for engaging a finger 95 on a supplemental shaft a bearing of the machine frame 19, to afford attachment for a lever 9-7l which is coupled,

by means of` a link 98, with the latch '89.

l 'i 96. This shaft 96 extends outward through I clutchrod 24 to the left in Fig. VIII, said rod i l2() aforementioned. Thisroller 99, it will be f seen, is hield without the Aprovince ofthe cam the latch89 is tripped incidental tov passage" of one of the special lugs 93, 94, beneath-fthe;

tion of its springv92/and thereby .drawn-sto the fight' (with respectA toriav), this bringing the roller 99 in o the path ofthe cam 100, as shown in Fig' Vl. 'hen engagement takes place between the cam 100 and the roller 99, the bolt 8,5 is raised and such motion is transmitted to the rock shaft 82. S

a consequence, the yolm'arml is swung up-v ward to lift thc auxiliary clutch collar 76 for withdrawal'of the pins 79 'on the latter from the bevel gear 38,. rlhe gear 39 and the needle. cylinder 15 are' thus permitted to remain temporarily quiescent. For the pur- "pose of restoring the plate 87 to the normal lposition inimediately after the action ju'st described, I mount on the gear 26 a second cam 101 with a'laterally 'projecting edge adapted to engage a small aXial roller 102 at the bottom of the bolt 85. Vhen therefore such engagement takes place, as shown in Fig. VII,

.the plate 87 will obviously be shifted to the Figs. VIII to XI) ,which 'is secured to the inner end of a spring influenced rod'106 slidable 1n a bearing bracket 107, said rod being Y held from rotation by means of a pin 108 projecting through a guide slot in the, bearing bracket 107. The special loweringr cam 105 is controlled by a vertical slide 1.09 with a cam bevel 110vadapted to cooperate with a collar 111 on the protruding end of the rod 106. The slide 109 has guidance in the bed plate of the machine, as well as in a projecting bearing lug 112 of the annular plate 16, which rotatably supports the needle cylinder 15, and said rod is coupled, by meansI of a link rod'113, with the tail 11-l of a finger 115 fulcrumed at 116 on the macliine`fra1ne 19u. The end of this tingerll lies in the path of a laterally. projecting screw stud 1.1.7 on theside face ofthe drum 22, see Fig. III, and. when engaged thereby, causes downward movement of the slide 109 in opposition to a spring 118, thereby allowing the lowering cam 105 to-seek the inner dotted position shown in F ig. IX under urgence of the spring to which it is subject.

As hereinbefore stated, during the oscillatory phases of operation, the cam 59 (Fig. VIII) is maintained in active position. New

it will be remembered thatthis cam 59 serves to elevate the long butt needles 52'and must therefore be withdrawn from action whenfashioning is practiced, with said long butt needles in accordance with the present invention. For this purpose I provide a bolt 120,

(sce VIII and X) with a chainfered" upperfe'nd, adapted, when lifted, to swing the tail of the 1111105 inward thereby to retract the cam 59. "When liftedbthe'bolt 120 is held raised by en,i'agementv of the tail of the arm withinr an angular recess 120'nl in the side ot' said bolt and thus temporarily locks-the cam 59 in the inactive position; The'bolt 1:20 n'iay be actuated by any suitable means,

in the usual way, and thatA the machine is just completing the last roundsof the foot portion immediately` previous tochange to the oscillatory phase of operation for frishioning the stocking toe. The latter operative phase isinitiated by passage of the lug 11 of the measuring chain 41 beneath the l linger for progression of the dru1n'22 and 'shift-ing themain clutch of the machine. `Tit/1,1 incidental shifting of the clutch rod "24g the bracket 70 is moved to the leftinFig.

VIII, whichis at-tendedby withdrawal of the cam and' placemen'tof the-cam 59 to active position for raising the long butt needles 52 constituting half the full complement to the idle level. Vvlith succeedingr oscillation ofthe needle cylinder 15, the short butt needles 53 are raised by the pickers 61, 62, one at a time,

until but a. few, saytifteen, remain in action.`

When the narrowing has been carried out to the desired extent, the linger engaged by the screw stud 117 on the'drum 22- (Fig. III) to be followed by inward movement of the special lowering c'am 105 to intercept the long butt needles 52 and bring ,them all down to the active level. This period inthe cycle is graphically represented in FigaXI, from' which it will be observed that the oscillating movement of the needle .cylinder ..15 is to the left and that the long. butt needles 52 have just started down the incline of the special lowering cam 105. Contemporaneous with these events, the special lug '93, on the measuring chain 4:1', engages the finger 95 thereby toy eti'ect tripping of the latch 89 and, through the interposed parts influenced asa result thereof, projectionl ofthe roller 99 into the pathl of the cam 100, as shown in Fig. VI.4 Upon engagement of these two elements 99, 100, the auxiliary/clutch collar Z6-is raised to uncouple the'gear 39 from the'compa'nion bevel ygear 38I with consequent changeviny the operative relationof the needle. cylinder 15 withyrespect to the vknitting cams.` Concu'r- 'i rent with tripping ofthe latch 89, the bolt 120 is' shifted'upward to v vithdruv the cam 59 (this being made possible by virtue ofthe notch in 'part 71, Fig. VIII, at the connection v73) and temporarily hold it retracted While narrowing proceeds in precisely the same manner as before but `With the long butt 'needles 52 in action, the group of fifteen short butt needles 53 (Fig. XI) previously left at the active level simply moving back and forth with the cylinder 15 'at this time Withspring 72a.

out entering the stitch drawing grooves formed by the knitting cams 54, 56 and 57,..

since the. oscillatory throw of said cylinder 15 is actually less than a complete revolution.

#-At the end of the second fasliioning operation, the cam lug 94 engages the4 finger 95 thereby tripping the latch 89 asecond time and effecting another circumferential transposition of the needle cylinder 15 to restore it to the original norm al operative relation With regard to the knitting cams 56, 57 and 58; while the lug on the measuring chain 41, at the lsame time, engages the finger V46 to bring about restoration of the machine to the rotaryphase of operation/Xs the bracket is moved inwardA (to the. right in Fig, VIII) during the last described period in 'the cycle, the `finger-7l, in re-engaging the stud 73, imparts slight excess movement to the lever 65 so that the bolt 120 is releasedto fall under influence of vgravity to the normal position shownin Figs. I and X. It is also limportant to here no te that the' slotted con-l1- nection at 7 4 in Fig.'-VIII.r-permi ts premature Y shifting of the lowering `'camgti()vwitliout inducing any harmful results-since' said cam `is' thus free to yield' under actionff fthe boW By operationoffthemachine as above described, it will be lapparent that two complemental ,tapered selvageedgedjflaps 'or tabsV T--T are formed in'continuatlon ofthetubular foot portion F ofthe stocking, asshown in Fig. XIII. TheseJ tabs T,'T may subsequently be united along the selvagejedges by loopingthereby to form a very neat and attractivel toe.

Having thus 'de cribed my invention, I claim:

l 1. The. combination in aknittingmachine comprisinga needle cylinder, driving means including a gear for rotating and oscillating the cylinder, fasliioning meansl to actuate the needles during oscillatory knitting, and pattern mechanism' to control the fashioning means; of means to effect angular positional changes of the cylinder relative tothe fashioning instruinentalities for the purpose of operation with diiferent'groups of the .needles during'oscillatory knitting, said means including 'a cylinder clutching means With a' trip member adapted 'to be operatively engaged by cams on the gear aforesaid,`A and means-subject to the' pattern mechanism to` move the trip member.

2. The combination `in a knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder,having means. including a spur gear with associated coinpanion gears for rotating and oscillating the cylinder, fashioning means to actuate the needles during oscillatory knitting, `and pattern mechanism to control the fashioning means; of means to effect angular positional changes of the cylinder relative to the fashioning instrumentalitiesv for thc purpose of operation With different 'groups of the needles during oscillatory knitting, said means includingv a clutch normally coupling the companion gears but adapted to disconnect the same through a member engageable by cams on the spur gear aforesaidafflatch normally restraining said inember-from;en-

gageinent by the gear cams, and means con- .i

trolled by the pattern mechanismto trip'` latch.

3. The combination in a `knitting machiiie comprising a needle cylinder, driving mean-S including a gear for rotating-and oscillat-irig" the cylinder, fashioning'meansto actuate. the needles during oscillatory knitting, and palltern mechanism tol control theI fashioning means; of means to eil'cctangular positional changes of the cylinder relative to the fashioning instrumentalities for the purpose ofl operation with-different groups ofthe needles during oscillatory knitting,4 said means -including a cylinder clutch and cor-ordinate trip mechanism with amember capable of axial motion lintemporarily disconnecting the` cyl- Ainderl lclutch and of Vlateral movementto v restore clutching relationl by 4co-operative engageinent with cams on the gear aforesaid,

`and means subject 'to the pattern mechanism tore-leasethe trip mechanism.

' '4. The combination in a knitting machine comprising a vneedle cylinder, driving means including a gear for rot-ating and oscillating theV cylinder, fashioning instrumentalities to actuate the4 needles during oscillatory knitting, and pattern mechanism to control said in strumentalities; of means to effect angular positional changes of the cylinder relative to i nism.

5. The combination in a knitting machine Vcomprising a needle cylinder, driving means including a gear for rotating `and roscillating the cylinder, fashioning instrumentalities to actuate the needles during oscillatory knitting, -and pattern mechanism to control saidv fashioning instrunentalities; of means to efect angular positional changes of the cylinder relative to the fashioning instrumentalities for the purpose of operation With different groups of the needles during oscilla-v tory knitting, said means including an auX- iliary cylinder clutch and co-ordinate trip mechanism, a vertically movable element in said mechanism having bearing in a horizontally slidable member, freely rotative rollers at right angles to one another on the vertically movable element, individual cams on the gear aforesaid co-operative with the ro.- tative rollers in temporarily disconnecting and restoring clutching relationrespectively, and latching means engaging the slidable member controlled by the pattern mechanism to release the trip mechanism.

6. The combination in a knitting machine' y mechanism afforded bearing in a T-shape'd spring-influenced horizontally-slidable m'em ber, rollers on the bolt rotative at right angles to one another, cams on the gear aforesaid co-operative withlsaid rollers to` respec# tively eifect temporary disconnection and re-4 engagement of thecylinder clutch, and'latching means adapted to-the'slidable member under control of the pattern mechanism to release the trip mechanism. t l

7. The combination in 'a lknitting machine comprising a needle cylinder, driving means including a spur gear with associated come panion gears for rotating and oscillating the cylinder, fashioning instrumentalities to actuate the needles during oscillatory knitting, and pattern mechanism to control said fashioning inst-rumentalities; of means to effect angular positional changes of the cylin@ djer relative to the fashioning instrumentalities for the purpose of operation with different groups of the needles during oscilla` tory knitting, said means including an auxiliary cylinder clutch and 'eo-ordinatev trip mechanism, a vertically movable bolt in said' Y mechanism afforded bearing in a T-shaped spring-influenced horizontally-slidable member, rollers on the bolt rotative at right angles to one another, cams on the spur gear aforesaid cQoperative with said rollers to respectively effect temporary disconnection andreengagement of the companion gears, and

latching means adapted to the slidable member actuable by the pattern mechanism to release the trip mechanism. l

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Lansdale, Pennsylvania,

this 30th day of June, 1926.

HOWARD W. MATTHEWS. 

